AMERICAN LEAGUE: ROUNDUP

AMERICAN LEAGUE: ROUNDUP; Same Old Tigers (0-9), New Mark

Published: April 12, 2003

The Detroit Tigers are the first team ever to lose their first nine games in consecutive seasons, falling 5-0 yesterday to the visiting Chicago White Sox.

Jose Valentin hit a two-run homer and Esteban Loaiza pitched eight scoreless innings as the White Sox won for the sixth time in seven games.

The Tigers started 0-11 last year, then went on to tie Tampa Bay for the worst record in baseball at 55-106. The rookie manager Alan Trammell is still looking for his first victory.

The 1962-63 Mets held the record for the worst starts in consecutive seasons. They were 0-9 in 1962 and 0-8 the next season.

The Tigers said 12,577 tickets were sold, but it appeared that at least a few thousand didn't show up for the historic night. Three fans ran across the field in the bottom of the ninth and were taken away by security.

D'Angelo Jimenez hit a leadoff double and scored on Valentin's fourth homer. Jimenez homered in the second to put the White Sox ahead, 3-0.

Loaiza (2-0) gave up two hits and no walks while striking out three.

The Tigers, who have scored a major league-low 14 runs, have not a scored an earned run in 21 innings.

ROYALS 1, INDIANS 0: Kansas City became the first team in 13 years to begin the season with eight straight victories, beating host Cleveland behind seven sharp innings from Runelvys Hernandez.

The right-hander lowered his earned run average to 0.50 as the surprising Royals extended the best start in team history. Hernandez (3-0) allowed seven hits, two walks and struck out four.

The last major league club to start 8-0 was the 1990 Cincinnati Reds, who went on to win the World Series.

Jason Grimsley pitched a perfect eighth and the rookie Mike MacDougal got three outs for his sixth save in as many chances. MacDougal has allowed just two hits in six innings.

Leading off the ninth, Shane Spencer doubled over the head of Royals right fielder Desi Relaford but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

Kansas City scratched out the only run in the fifth against Jake Westbrook (0-2). Dee Brown drew a leadoff walk and advanced on a groundout. After another groundout, Angel Berroa singled to center and Brown just beat Milton Bradley's throw home, which got past catcher Tim Laker.

Westbrook, who had not pitched since losing the season opener in relief on March 31, allowed one run and three hits over six innings. The right-hander struck out three, walked one and got 10 groundball outs.

Minnesota's Luis Rivas, who went 3 for 4, hit a tying triple in the seventh inning off Cory Lidle (1-2) and Jacque Jones followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4.

Shannon Stewart and Frank Catalanotto each drove in two runs for the Blue Jays, who started Minnesota's losing streak with a three-game sweep at the Metrodome last weekend.

The defending A.L. Central Division champion Twins were also swept by the New York Yankees.

Kenny Rogers (1-0) allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings in his second start with the Twins. The 39-year-old left-hander, signed as a free agent on March 13 after Eric Milton injured his left knee, struck out five and walked two.

Add to that the pitter-patter of a steady rain, and the sounds of Fenway Park's opening day were not altogether pleasing to the home team.

''I expect the fans to be demanding,'' Pedro MartÛnez said. ''If you don't do your job, I guess they're going to boo you.''

Before yesterday's home opener against the Baltimore Orioles was postponed 42 minutes after the scheduled start, Boston's relievers heard boos that they hope will dissipate.

Perhaps as soon as today, when the game was rescheduled as the day portion of a day-night doubleheader. MartÛnez and Jason Johnson, who were scheduled to start yesterday, will start the first game.

Baltimore's Rodrigo Lopez faces Tim Wakefield in the night game.

As they stood in the rain yesterday, Boston relievers Alan Embree (12.27 earned run average), Chad Fox (9.00), Bobby Howry (10.80), Mike Timlin (4.70) and Ramiro Mendoza (12.00) were all booed after trotting out of the dugout to the first-base line during pregame introductions.

But there were no boos for the closer. The Red Sox don't have one.

PENALTIES FOR PANAMA: Panama was stripped of its bronze medal and seven players -- including the former Yankees outfielder Roberto Kelly -- were suspended for two years for doping violations at November's Intercontinental Cup.

The penalties were announced yesterday by the International Baseball Federation after a hearing of its disciplinary body in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Panama was disqualified after four of its players tested positive for banned drugs. The team lost the bronze medal it shared with the Dominican Republic after the third-place game was rained out.

The I.B.A.F. said Panama must return its third-place trophy and the medals from all its players. The tournament was played Nov. 8-20. Cuba beat South Korea in the gold medal game.